Gavin Harrison here!

Hi Gavin

As a fan of Pineapple Thiefs album Your Wilderness I was looking forward to hearing the new album, and I've listened to it quite a few times so far. I just wanted to tell you I love your performance - as usual, I could say - your precision, timing, groove, taste, creativity and sound! There's a fill I especially like: At the end of the second "chorus" in Try As I Might (3:25); to me it's kind of like a cliche 3 note grouping repetition, BUT in this case that repetition takes a different turn which is just so cool and fascinating every time I hear it :)! I hope you know what I mean.
 
Hi Gavin!

I wonder did you attend some music academy or you just had private lessons or practicing by yourself?
I was thinking about going to some academy but I'm not sure would it be just wasting time and money instead of practicing and playing/meeting with new musicians (building more connections).
Thank you for answering

Cheers!
 
Hi bonzopowell2112

I wonder did you attend some music academy or you just had private lessons or practicing by yourself?
I was thinking about going to some academy but I'm not sure would it be just wasting time and money instead of practicing and playing/meeting with new musicians (building more connections).

I didn't attend a music academy mostly because they didn't exist (for drumset) in the UK when I was a young drummer. There were some really good American schools - but I didn't have the kind of funds that I would have needed. I did have a couple of great private teachers though who set me up to study mostly on my own and develop in my own way.

best of luck
Gavin
 
I had private lessons.

In the private lessons I learned to read music, which allowed me to study on my own after that. I think its really important to get the reading skills in the beginning. It has carried me a long way.
 
Hi Stevesmithfan

How often do you change your Snare and Tom Tom heads when touring?


it depends on the music and therefore how hard I'm hitting the heads. In King Crimson I change the snare head about once every 7 shows and probably every 10 shows with the 10" tom (as it gets a lot of action). The 8" and 12" might be once every 15 shows. The floor toms get changed about once every 20 shows.

In other bands (Pineapple Thief or Porcupine Tree) it's more frequent.

cheers
Gavin
 
So you actually change heads individually, instead of changing all drums at once?
That's pretty common with most bands on tour. Changing all heads on the same day is a major undertaking and there isn't usually that much time available. Also, each drum doesn't get the same amount of action, so after about a week, you can see that one would benefit from being replaced whereas others look barely used.

Some drummers change their snare head every show, especially if it's a loud band where the drummer is hitting very forcefully.
 
Hello Gavin,
I just wanted to say that I discovered few days ago your work with Pineapple Thief ; thanks to your Drumeo session and your work on "In Exile". I deeply loved the music and purchased almost right away the two last albums.
I liked the ghost notes trick while cross-sticking ; great hint.
Your drumming is all about "finesse", it's a pleasure to listen to such a musical approach of the instrument that blend so well with the music - would it be with Procupine T or Pineapple T.
Thank you.
 
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Hi Gavin
I thought you'd be the right man to help answer this

I recently seen a clip of a concert with Simon Phillip on youtube playing a tune with Lee Ritenour , the song is in 7.
Anyways there's a place in the tune where Simon takes a long drum fill of 4 bars of 7.
I'm wondering how someone can feel and solo over 4 bars of 7,
My own approach would probably be something like dividing the bars up in sections of 2, 4 or 8 ,, so 4barsX7 = 28 beats divided up like 8+8+8+4.

What would be your approach ? practice to just feel it in 7 ?

Many thanks
Michael

Ps heres the clip , the fill starts around the 2.30 mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFGkvF_rK-A
 
Hi Gavin!
How are you? What are you doing at the moment?

I got a question: I feel fairly "okay" with my improvised grooves and little mini-fills (subtelties) but I feel very uncomfortable improvising bigger fills. I´m actually even a little scared to get into a bigger fill...
Anyway If I then try one I dislike it nearly every time. (If I have the time to work out a fill it´s not that bad.)

Your improvised fills always amaze me! And they´re quite big oftentimes as well.

Could you give me any advise on how to approach or practice it?

(PS: In an video you talk about your "curling-concept". Do you use some other concepts similar to this as well?)

Thank you so much in advance.
 
Hi Swiss Matthias

So you actually change heads individually, instead of changing all drums at once?

Absolutely. On some tours the second floor tom never gets to the point that I feel it needs changing.

Hi Tamaefx

I just wanted to say that I discovered few days ago your work with Pineapple Thief ; thanks to your Drumeo session and your work on "In Exile". I deeply loved the music and purchased almost right away the two last albums.

Thanks very much !

Hi michaelg

I recently seen a clip of a concert with Simon Phillip on youtube playing a tune with Lee Ritenour , the song is in 7. Anyways there's a place in the tune where Simon takes a long drum fill of 4 bars of 7. I'm wondering how someone can feel and solo over 4 bars of 7,
My own approach would probably be something like dividing the bars up in sections of 2, 4 or 8 ,, so 4barsX7 = 28 beats divided up like 8+8+8+4.

What would be your approach ? practice to just feel it in 7 ?


I'm sure Simon is just feeling it in 7. I would do the same and just sing the riff or bass line to myself as I was soloing.

Hi Robert Schmidt

How are you? What are you doing at the moment?

I'm good thanks. Just practising and writing new stuff at the moment before the touring/rehearsing begins again.

I got a question: I feel fairly "okay" with my improvised grooves and little mini-fills (subtelties) but I feel very uncomfortable improvising bigger fills. I´m actually even a little scared to get into a bigger fill...Anyway If I then try one I dislike it nearly every time. (If I have the time to work out a fill it´s not that bad.) Your improvised fills always amaze me! And they´re quite big oftentimes as well.

haha - thanks but my fills don't amaze me though.

Could you give me any advise on how to approach or practice it? In an video you talk about your "curling-concept". Do you use some other concepts similar to this as well?

I find it's better to have an idea of what 'kind of fill' I'm about to play rather than just have a few 'per-rehearsed' fills that I do all the time. What I mean by that - is a fill that I think is correct for that part of the song as a bridge for taking the music somewhere and building the arrangement. I do have some 'worked-out' fills of course and usually dislike when I have to use them because I couldn't think of anything else. Some days you just seem to have more inspired ideas than others. So developing your own concepts that might help you get in the right frame of mind for what type of fill you're just about to play is very helpful.

best of luck
cheers
Gavin
 
Hi Gavin. It's just so amazing to have the opportunity to talk to you. You're probably my biggest inspiration.
So we play lots of Porcupine Tree songs in our band. And at home it would just be much better to have a drumless track. I mean they are out there, but only Sound of Muzak or Blackest Eyes. Is there any platform where I can find more drumless tracks for Porcupine Tree Songs? Have the original drumless tracks been given away by you on this forum?

Greetings from Germany and sorry for bad English, thanks for your amazing work.
 
Hi DaEigi

So we play lots of Porcupine Tree songs in our band. And at home it would just be much better to have a drumless track. I mean they are out there, but only Sound of Muzak or Blackest Eyes. Is there any platform where I can find more drumless tracks for Porcupine Tree Songs? Have the original drumless tracks been given away by you on this forum?

sorry but none of the 'drumless' versions are available. There is a version of Sound Of Muzak out there somewhere made by the German Drum Magazine "Sticks" that has no vocals. I haven't heard the "Blackest Eyes" one. I don't own the original recordings and cannot release them - even though I have performed to a few of them at drum clinics etc.

cheers
Gavin
 
Hi Gavin, hope you are well. Just wanted to say I'm enjoying your drumming with The Pineapple Thief, Dissolution is a great album! Quick question though about your Collab with o5Ric, are there any future plans for album number four?
 
Thanks for all the music over the years and for this thread, it's filled with valuable information. We flew in to see you play with Pineapple Thief in Scotland last October, loved the gig.

I really think you're one of the best mixing engineers when it comes to drums. I'd love to know what reverb you use on the snare?

Thanks again and keep rocking!

Musically,
Tiko
 
Hi DaEigi

Wow thanks for the quick reply.
Here's the link for the Blackest Eyes Version:


ah OK. That's not the original version. It appears that someone has remade it (most likely lifted Steven's vocals from the centre channel of a 5.1 mix) and put it all together. It's not bad but there's a few mistakes in there.

Hi Nige86

Quick question though about your Collab with o5Ric, are there any future plans for album number four?

No plans at the moment for another album.

Hi Tiko

I really think you're one of the best mixing engineers when it comes to drums. I'd love to know what reverb you use on the snare?

Most of the reverb is coming from my live room. Other than that I use a little bit of the Logic software reverb called Space Designer with a preset that I think is called Large Wood Room modeled from a Lexicon 480 reverb.

cheers
Gavin
 
Hi Gavin!
How are you doing?
We all know that you got an really amazing drumsound! :)
Of course its coming mostly from the way you play the drums and maybe some other things like sticks, mics, placement and so on.
But if we just take a look on the tuning, are your drums always perfectly tuned? (Meaning that you have the same pitches on every lug.)

Greetings
 
Hi Gavin!

I'm so glad you'll be touring the US again. I'll be seeing you in December with The Pineapple Thief in CO. I'm afraid I missed you last time you came through doing your drum clinics.

I'm a big fan of all of your work, and I'm specifically wondering if the musical scores for any of your arrangements on Cheating the Polygraph are - or ever will be - available. I'd pay good money for a couple of those scores, and I'm sure I'm not alone!

Thanks in advance!
Jeff
 
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